South Africa Anti-War Coalition condemns disgraceful actions of ANC, SACP, DA

The ANC and SACP claim to be marching against the war on July 4th, while
hosting the chief warmonger, George Bush just days later. The DA openly
supports Bush and the war. The DA's pro-Israel and America policies have no
benefit in reality for the poor of South Africa and are just as foolish as
their current proposal to employ another 150 000 police to arrest the
millions of South Africans who have found themselves jobless and starving
since the American led GEAR policy was introduced.

But at least the DA is openly pro-Bush and pro-capitalist, unlike the ANC
and SACP who have promoted a false image of themselves as opposing the war,
whereas they have sold weapons to the American and British forces, and are
now preparing to lick the boots of Bush. The ANC has supported the American
war in Iraq in the following ways:

* The ANC allowed three British and American warships to dock at Durban
harbour in January for repairs en-route to the Persian Gulf. These warships
were carrying massive amounts of military equipment that was used against
the people of Iraq just two months later.

* The ANC facilitated FIVE contracts between the state-owned arms
manufacturer, Denel (Pty.) Ltd and the British and American militaries. This
included the sale of 125 laser guidance sights for US Marines artillery
systems, over 300 hand-held laser rangefinders for British soldiers, and
R225 million worth of shell-casings for small and medium calibre ammunition
that was used against British soldiers.

The ANC's public relations strategy around the war directly contradicts
their actions, which are pro-war and which have contributed to the deaths of
thousands of Iraqi civilians. This is the same duplicitous PR strategy
employed by the ANC when they claim to have provided housing, water and
electricity to the poor whereas in fact they have evicted 10 million people
from their homes since 1994.

There are pensioners in poor communities like Thembelihle, Soweto,
Chatsworth and Khayelitsha who have been arrested and jailed for trying to
remain in their homes when eviction forces come to take them out. SACP and
ANC political figures have publicly and unlawfully ordered the arrests of
activists from anti-eviction social movements, directly flouting the
independence of the judicial process. And currently, the ANC is trying to
force unconstitutional apartheid-style anti-Terrorism legislation on the
country, which would outlaw any anti-War or pro-poor organisations and
activities.

The poor of South Africa did not vote for a government who would bring back
laws declaring any dissenting voices as terrorists. We did not vote for the
return of detention without trial and the indiscriminate banning of
organisations. We did not vote for landlessness, evictions, electricity and
water cut-offs and arms sales to an international terrorist like Bush. We
did not vote for a government who would contribute weapons to occupying
forces to kill thousands of Iraqi and Palestinian and East Timorese people,
while at the same time claiming to be anti-War.

For all these reasons, the Anti-War Coalition's countrywide Anti-Bush
marches on July 5th and July 9th are also marches against the ANC's support
of the war and welcome of Bush, against the ANC's anti-poor policies at
home, and against the ANC's apartheid style anti-terrorism laws.

Issued by the Anti-War Coalition. Enquiries: 082 802 5936, 082 332 9874, 082
682 9177, 082 671 3370.